Vancouver NW Giants firing on all cylinders, gearing up for playoffs

Squad dominating Mac's Tournament Pool 1 with a 3-0 record

By Rita Mingo, Calgary HeraldDecember 29, 2012

The Vancouver NW Giants have bigger fish to fry, but a Mac’s AAA midget hockey tournament gold medal would make for a nice side dish.

“Our goal is to challenge the (national championship) Telus Cup and I think this tournament gives us the ability to see what’s out there and see how we stack up,” explained Giants’ head coach Clint Thornton. “We’ve got four solid lines that can play, we’ve got six D-men that can play and we have two goaltenders. It’s generally a pretty deep team and everyone’s playing and pitching in.

“Our goal is to come into these tournaments and have success. We’ve taken the challenge and, obviously going 3-0, we’ve done what we’ve come here to do so far.”

The Giants, winners of the Mac’s back in 2009 and silver medallist the two previous years, are a team to watch as the 2012 tournament unfolds, something the Tisdale Trojans, 1-1, found out the hard way on Friday morning.

Led by the unwavering leadership of captain Eric Margo, who also chipped in with a goal and an assist, Vancouver dumped the Trojans 5-1 at Max Bell Arena for a third win in three round-robin games and a berth in the post-season.

“From Day 1, that’s what we’ve prepared for,” Thornton continued. “Our goal isn’t just to win Mac’s but to go further; it’s a great stepping stone for us and so far we’ve played some challenging games and it’s not going to get any easier. Hopefully we’re up for the challenge.”

Thornton praised the line of Margo, Jackson Cressey and Colton Kerfoot as key contributors, but sees them as just a part of what has been a well-oiled machine.

“Those guys have played a big role. They got the tournament going in that first game; they took the load on, but it’s been a team game,” the coach insisted. “Everyone has contributed in some way or another. Guys that need to shut down the opposition are doing it; guys who need to score are scoring. There’s not one guy in there that isn’t doing his job. That’s why we’re having success.”

“You have to come here with a strong team and with the right team,” Margo pointed out. “Last year we came here with a young team and we tied one game. This year we built our team around third years and I think we’ll do well. It means a lot to win this thing.”

The Giants have had the unenviable schedule calling for four straight games and so far so good; they play the Calgary Flames at Father David Bauer Arena at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and will enjoy a well-deserved day off prior to playoffs.

“It’s preparation,” said Thornton. “The boys have really bought into it. They’ve done everything they can to prepare to be the best that they can. They’ve been doing whatever they can to make sure they’re staying as healthy as possible. It’s a pretty tough tournament. We’ve played some pretty rough games. Alaska was big, Tisdale gave us a run there … even now that we know we’re going to be in the playoffs, we don’t want to change a thing.”

“It’s definitely a grind,” conceded the 17-year-old Margo. “A couple of rough games can really throw you off. You have to come prepared mentally and physically. Have a nice ice bath and be ready. We did a workout as a team to prepare for a late game, just stuff like that, eating well, hydrating.”

The past successes of Giants teams at the Mac’s are not lost on Margo.

“Fill their shoes?” he asked rhetorically. “Yeah, we hope to do that.”

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